Google's Brin Blogs His Genetic Link to Parkinson's

Google co-founder Sergey Brin said on Thursday that he has a genetic code that markedly increases the likelihood he will develop Parkinson's disease, the degenerative brain disorder.

Sept 19 (Reuters) - Google Inc co-founder Sergey Brin said on Thursday that he has a genetic code that markedly increases the likelihood he will develop Parkinson's disease, the degenerative brain disorder.

In his blog, Brin said genetic testing showed that both he and his mother carried the G2019S mutation of the LRRK2 gene, which is linked to rare examples of familial Parkinson's.

Google spokesperson Roli Agarwal confirmed the blog was Brin's.

While the exact implications of the test results are not clear, Brin said it meant his chances of developing the disease, compared with the average person, were "somewhere between 20 percent to 80 percent depending on the study and how you measure".

"This leaves me in a rather unique position," he said. "I know early in my life something I am substantially predisposed to. I now have the opportunity to adjust my life to reduce those odds," Brin added.

Brin said he also had the opportunity to perform and support research into the disease.

The original blog can be read at too.blogspot.com. (Reporting by Ajay Kamalakaran in Bangalore; editing by Simon Jessop)